


Oh crap, I ruined the story didn't I?

by mirasol_yllw



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: A SI-OC who doesn't want anything to do with the plot at all, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempt at Humor, Character Study, F/M, Flirting Disasters, Lots of panicking, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Self-Insert, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, tons of embarrassment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:07:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26287696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mirasol_yllw/pseuds/mirasol_yllw
Summary: You know you're screwed when you roll out of your bed one morning and find yourself falling from the sky.
Relationships: Leo Valdez/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 57





	1. I fell so hard I entered another universe

One thing you should know about me is that my life is boring.

Hardly anything exciting happens in my life. Every single day seemed like a broken record on repeat. It has come to the point where sometimes I wonder if I accidentally entered a rift in the space and time continuum and had to relive a day every day for the rest of my poor pathetic life.

I know _._ I have a knack for _dramatic flair_.

My friends call it _overreacting._

_(Wow, I have friends? It comes as a surprise every single time.)_

Anyway, I'm literally just your average geeky and angsty hormonal female teenager from ol' boring Earth. Most of the time, I imagine myself in the universes of my favorite books and anime and try to figure out how awesome my life would have been.

_(Except it wouldn't because it's at this time that my stupid brain would decide to start being logical and conclude that I'd probably die literally a minute after I enter said worlds because stupid ninjas, monsters, nose-less dark lords, and death games.)_

But that still would've been better, right? Because what's life without a little risk? I'd take a life of adventure over this boring repetitiveness _any time_.

And it is with that thought that I fell asleep last night.

When I woke up that morning, I expected myself to be placed once again in that exceedingly dull cycle. I expected to be woken up by the rather loud ring of my alarm clock, in which my next response would be to smash the annoying little thing until it stops, and then proceed to roll off and face-plant myself on the floor because I'm a lazy-ass non-morning person that doesn't really wake up until I self-harm and have a minor concussion.

Yeah.

You see, that hit to the head is what kick-starts my brain to function before it _actually_ starts to work at like 5 PM. It was a critical part of my mornings.

So literally just a minute ago, I started my everyday routine. My alarm blared as if it's the end of the world, like usual. I smashed it about three times to make it stop, like usual. I groaned and proceeded to fall off, like usual. And then I rolled off my bed and hit _air_ , like _not_ -as-usual.

It was rather… odd.

But hey, as I said, my brain doesn't work until that crucial part of pain, so I thought that maybe it's still half-asleep and it just messed up the way I perceive time—making it feel super fast when in actuality my body was in slow motion… which didn't really explain the wind and my stomach feeling as if it was being turned inside out but—

Whatever.

However, when after five seconds and I still felt that weird feeling that makes my instincts scream ' _I'm gonna die!'_ without any indication of hitting my floor, I knew there was something wrong.

So when I opened my eyes and found myself five hundred meters up in the sky, free-falling through the air on a regular Monday morning, and very much _not in my room anymore_ , I was, needless to say, _very_ confused.

It didn't help that the very first things I saw as I plummeted to the ground were the rapidly decreasing-in-size underside of a floating vehicle and a blob head of what seems to be a blonde dude screaming something with a rather horrified expression. Though I couldn't really hear what he was saying because of the loud ring in my ears due to my fast descent.

It was a really weird sight that I didn't want to stare at any longer. The guy was literally looking at me as if I was minutes away from my death. _How rude._

At this point in time, I decided to twist my body to face the ground… or well, whatever I would land on, and because I'm stupid and my internal organs and brain are basically mush, I _calmly_ concluded that the grey spikes getting closer and closer were the tips of the buildings and skyscrapers in a normal metropolitan city.

My eyes widened.

Wait…

What the _f—_

_Oh, right. Family-friendly material. Sorry._

The shock must have had the same impact as a hit to the floor because _finally,_ my brain decided to do its job.

Except I wasn't really briefed on how to properly act in these types of situations. I haven't exactly read or watched anything about "what to do when you're seconds away from getting squashed by gravity".

Should I pray? Cry? Flap my wings and hope that human evolutionary and adaptive capabilities kick in so I could spontaneously grow wings?

…Panic?

I decided to do everything at once.

"HOLY GLOB. WHAT'S GOING ON? OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO DIE SOMEBODY HELP—"

There was a bright flash of light.

"—I SWEAR I'D BE A GOOD GIRL, I WON'T STEAL PIZZA SLICES FROM MY FRIENDS ANYMORE, AND I'LL STOP THOSE LATE-NIGHT ICE CREAM EATING, AND I SWEAR I WON'T WASTE MONEY ON CUTE NOTEBOOKS I WON'T EVEN USE—"

When my vision cleared, the scenery changed. Instead of the grey, black, and white, what greeted me was a field of green that was frighteningly just a mere distance away.

_ohmygoshhelpme—_

I started to twist again to face the sky and as a last resort, decided to act like a frog and "swim" up away from the ground.

But then I realized, I wasn't a frog… and I wasn't underwater.

_Well, fuck._

_(Screw family-friendly, I'm going to die.)_

I closed my eyes.

This was it. I welcome death with open arms.

A few seconds later, I felt as if all the air rushed out of my body as I did a hard unwanted headbang that would've put rock stars to shame. It felt as if my gut was hit by an eight-wheeler truck, and my limbs were pulled by crazy bed-selling Greek monsters.

It _hurt._

…but I wasn't dead.

_Hallelujah. My prayers have been answered._

I slowly peeked and turned my head, finding that I was floating literally a few centimeters above the ground. It seemed as if magical air tentacles decided to wrap around my arms and legs to prevent me from hitting earth and conveniently dying.

Good. 'Cause I didn't want to trouble the ones who would write my death certificate. What would they tell my parents? _Cause of death: Cascading to the ground._

_(Yeah, that's definitely my reason for feeling extreme bliss by being alive.)_

The air decided to slowly let me down on the grass.

_What… the hell just happened?_

Even though I had tons of questions, my mind, being a twat as per usual, decided to completely stop functioning.

" _I'm not paid enough for this shit!"_ — _my brain right now, probably._

Not that I can blame it, I felt as if I ran a marathon. Around the entire Earth. Without stopping.

Yeah, time to blackout.

The last thing my eyes decided to perceive was another god-forsaken _blonde_ with shocked and inquisitive electric blue eyes, wearing a bright orange shirt saying—

_Wait, no way. Body, stop shutting down. Is that who I think it is what the fu—_

**Black.**


	2. Everybody Hates Mondays

Jason Grace just acted based on pure instinct, really.

First of all, it was a Monday. Monday was the dreaded day where everyone just had to haul their lazy asses off the ground to start whatever they needed to do. It was the first day after the glorious weekend, officially the first work-day (demigod or not), and unlike the rest of the human population, Jason was actually fine with Mondays.

It was probably all the Jupiter genes and blood running in his veins, but Jason just had this _energy_ whenever it came to Mondays. As a natural-born leader, Jason had to be the guy to instill the sense of responsibility to his comrades—which meant waking up early on _Monday_ morning and making sure everyone did the same. Being a Roman also added a bit of intensity to it.

Jason Grace was the embodiment of Mondays.

…and a lot in Camp Half-Blood hated him for it.

( _Well… not really. But once he decides to show all his Captain Monday glory on them and try to spread his enthusiasm like a praetor shouting Latin commands on the battlefield, he was pretty sure they would._ )

It was probably because Greeks had the tendency to be more laid-back. He didn't exactly have the same problem back with his friends in Camp Jupiter—

 _Well_ , at least he _thinks_ he didn't. His memory was still a bit fuzzy and disoriented, after all.

Jason sighed as he walked to a small grassy clearing somewhere near the forest. It was a place he became really fond of at the moment, somewhere he could take the time to relax, clear his head, and try to make sense of the whirlwind of events that was happening.

It was also the perfect place to try to deliberate on whether he'd convert to the majority and actually start to hate Mondays.

A bit random?

Well, _yeah_. But who cares? He was having a moment.

It was really hard to gather his bearings when he suddenly woke up at the back of a bus with little to no memory of what the _heck_ was going on. Before he knew it, he had to fight monsters with skills he didn't know he had, protect a best friend and _girlfriend_ he didn't know he had, sign up at some camp because of powers he didn't know he had, get tossed in a downright dangerous quest because of a destiny _he didn't know he freaking had_ , and finally come back to start another quest because, well, he already knows what he has—identity, purpose, and all that important stuff.

The whole experience was as confusing as the Labyrinth. He didn't even have enough time to just _breathe_.

And to top it all off, _that_ day, waking up in _that_ bus to start _that_ one rollercoaster ride? _That_ was a _Monday_.

Today was a Monday.

Jason sighed once again as he stood up from where he was sitting, leaning on a tree, to return back to his Monday duties. Dusting his pants, he started to walk back to the general direction of Camp. There was no use complaining, and since he had all this buzzing _Monday energy_ , he might as well put it to good use: helping Leo with the Argo II, or planning with Annabeth, or hanging out with Piper, or anything that requires his assistance, really.

 _I'll tolerate Mondays_ , he decided. As long as nothing _bad_ or _drastic_ happens again, Mondays are actually pretty _fine_ —

"—OHMYGOD HELP ME I DON'T WANT TO DIE—"

… _what?_

He only had a second to register the blur of a body barreling to the ground before using all his _helpful and wondrous_ Monday energy to actually will the air last minute and save whoever or _whatever_ that was. Shell-shocked and a bit out of breath, he slowly approached the groaning mess in— _wait is that cupcake-patterned_ —pajamas to assess the situation. It was all based on pure instinct.

And unwanted Monday energy.

Staring at the currently unconscious girl on the ground, the son of Jupiter only had one thought.

… _Yes._

Jason was _really_ starting to dislike Mondays.

* * *

I would have been lying if I said I was asleep.

I came to my senses about five minutes ago, and I just have to say:

_Ow._

Wait let me rephrase that:

_Super-duper-like-what-the-hell-mother-effin-ow._

My body was so sore it felt as if I was dropped high up from a floating car to nosedive straight on the ground at a speed of 120 miles per hour.

_Oh, wait..._

I actually freaking did.

The realization must've activated every pain receptor in my body because everything just seemed to be 100 times worse. My legs felt as if they were stretched long enough in a gum making machine and my head pounded so hard it felt as if a full-grown goddess in complete battle gear was going to jump out of it. ( _Behold, the birth of Athena._ )

I stopped breathing for a few seconds. The memory of blue eyes and an orange shirt waded its way to the surface of my mind from where I desperately pushed it back in the depths of my thoughts. The knowledge that I was in _this_ world was so alarming that my hands started _shaking_ —not cool, since that would totally ruin my cover.

Okay, _fine._ I'll admit it. I, the great, mighty, and _sexy_ Kiara, am afraid. So scared to the point where I had been pretending to be asleep for a good solid five minutes. (Don't tell my Spartan mother I said that. She'd _kill_ me.)

Okay, sure. _"Kiara, you've entered the Percy Jackson universe! You get to meet all the characters and get to have awesome kick-ass powers! You are SO lucky!"_

Yeah, right— NO. Heck to the N-O. I'll get back to you after you've been impaled by a spear.

This world is _so dangerous_ it isn't even funny! Sure, reading the books would have made it look so enticing—a life full of adventure—and I admit, I had found myself wishing to be a demigod a couple of times ( _*cough*last night*cough*_ ). But it would've been good if I had the skills and luck of Percy, or Jason, or any of those demigods that _actually_ live and survive throughout each passing day. But no.

I am here as _me._ Kiara. The girl who can't even decide on which clothes to wear. The girl who can't even walk down a sidewalk without tripping over her feet. The girl who shoots a basketball that somehow _directly_ rebounds to hit her face. The girl who'll eat bread crumbs in front of pigeons whenever she feels like a failure just to assert dominance.

I'm _that girl_ who has too many fandoms it's ruining her social life.

"Be careful of what you wish for," said a creepy voice in the dark abyss that is my mind. I mentally kicked myself. Why? Why in the world did I even wish that last night?

And so, through all these observations, hypotheses, and wild insane _panicky_ musings, I therefore conclude that—

I am _doomed_.

" _You won't even survive a minute in this world."—my brain right now, sneering_.

_No shit._

Heck, I proved how real that actually was just moments ago! And truth be told, in just that one minute plunging to my death, I would've been splatted on the ground like a crushed watermelon pancake if it weren't for _sweet sweet precious Jason Grace._

I better thank him for saving my ass later. And write him a terza rima portraying all his son-of-Jupiter glory.

 _Wait… what?_ Since _when_ did I have writing urges like I'm some sort-of Shakespeare?

An image of a floating car and a horrified blonde flashed in my head. _Oh no. Nononononononono_ no _. No. Way. That's just—_

I clenched my fists on the sheets of my hospital bed. I better stop thinking before I end up with my homies at the asylum for the mentally insane.

I breathed in and breathed out, trying to feel my surroundings since I'm still too scared to "wake up". Maybe if I act normal enough and somehow fall asleep, I'd wake up back in my bed, before I start my _Monday_ morning, like nothing happened. 

_Ugh_ , I realized. _I hate Mondays._ Why do all Monday mornings seem to bring about some type of destruction in my life?

On the bright side, I don't need to cram that unfinished literature paper supposedly due today. _Yay. Optimism. Just what I needed._

Of course, most of my questions would've probably been answered if I just took the time to actually _glance_ at my surroundings and possibly formulate a plan to _stay alive_. So I decided to do just that. One twitching eye after another.

I found that I was lying in a cot, alone, in what seemed to be a cabin. On either side, more beds lined the walls. Rough cedar beams ribbed the ceiling. Rays of sunlight streamed through the windows and reflected from the cheerful blossoms planted in flower pots by the windowsills. The air in the room smelled like linen, medicine, and unused bandages. In the distance, I can hear the shouts and chattering of people— _demigods_ —as they do whatever they do here in camp.

Wow.

 _Here_ in camp.

I can't believe it. I'm actually here. In the Infirmary. At Camp Half-Blood.

_Holy shit._

The usual fangirling butterflies awoke in my stomach and started to flutter about like angry chickens. I started to sit up to try and dissipate the feeling, going to try to recon or something, but then I heard the click and turning of a doorknob.

I shot back down so fast I was sure I was going to undergo self-induced neurogenic shock. Not that I know what _that_ meant.

Ignoring the migraine, I relaxed and evened out my breathing. By this time, I'm probably already a master of faking sleep. My mom used to always creep in my room in the middle of the night, stand by my bed, and stare me down like some kind of creepy psychotic stalker. Those were the nights I'd stay up late, reading steamy yaoi fanfics underneath my blanket.

_Don't. Judge._

(Also, don't tell my Spartan mother I said that. She'd _kill_ me. Before the monsters even _could_.)

"Ow," a male voice groaned as they walked into the cabin. "Will, it hurts so bad."

"It's going to be fine," the other voice, I'm assuming is Will Solace, reassured. From the sounds of their steps, Will guided the other limping dude to the cot beside me. Shuffling was heard.

"It doesn't make any sense," the injured male voice complained. "I could normally scale the climbing wall without any problems, but I just had to fall today. I swear it's a curse. I hate Mondays."

I resisted the urge to stand up like an awakened zombie just to high-five him. _I feel you, bro_.

"Who doesn't?" Will snorted. "Now, I only need you to stay put while I reset your leg. It's only going to hurt a little bit but after you drink nectar and have your leg fully cast, you'd be reaching the top of that climbing wall in no time."

I couldn't see him, but I'm pretty sure the other dude grimaced. "Er… That's enough climbing wall experience for me for at least a week. Ain't gonna try to climb that anytime soon."

Will chuckled. "Well, here goes. Be ready."

Wait, shit. Was I going to hear a _live demonstration_ of a dislocated leg getting reset? Holy— _I'm_ not _ready_ for this! I haven't prepared my soul yet! I inwardly cringed, shutting my eyes in an unnatural, definitely- _not-_ sleeping way.

There was a sharp intake of breath.

"Three, two, one—"

_Crack._

"Holy—" the guy hissed.

— _shit his leg oh my god theRE WAS A CRACK THAT MUST HAVE HURT SO BAD WHAT THE HELL_

Okay. I may be panicking more than I should but, _swear_. The sound was so loud—

While I was _mentally_ hyperventilating, Will seemed to have finished the job. He guided the other person out. "You sure you don't want to stay here?"

"Yeah, man. Thanks. I'm sure it'd heal in no time." He clapped Will on the shoulder. "Thanks again."

 _Oh, wow._ That fast? Man, demigod recuperative abilities are insane. If only my life could turn back to normal with just a reset. I'd be _first_ in line.

The door was shut and I heard Will approach my bed. I quickly feigned sleep, as if I hadn't just heard one of my fears happen in real life. I felt a hand press against my forehead. It was warm, and I liked it. It felt like what my dad used to do whenever I do something so insane he feared I had a fever.

"You know," he started, mirth evident in his tone. "I'm not entirely sure why you're pretending, but you can open your eyes now."

_Damn. Busted._

I slowly opened my eyes and blinked, trying to go for the innocent look. Will's blue eyes twinkled with amusement as he pulled his hand back. Trying to sit up, he guided and supported me. I stared at him, deciding to keep up with my lost-child act, no indication that I was just caught red-handed.

He took my wrist and checked my pulse. "So, how are you feeling?"

I observed his profile. The calmness of his eyes, the smile resting easily on his lips, the way his blonde shaggy hair curled around his ears, the tan of his face… _Dang,_ he was _cute_.

"I—I guess I'm fine," I replied in a timid voice, complete with the stutter. "As fine as someone who fell from the sky can be." I softly laughed.

All for the innocent look. As if I didn't just check out my _would-be half_ -brother. That is, if my conclusion is anywhere _near_ correct. I hope so. I didn't binge-watch all those Sherlock films for nothing, also because at least I have solid ground on the current situation. At this point, the only thing I can count on is my knowledge.

From now on, _knowledge_ is _power_.

I needed to stay alive.

Will chuckled. "That's good. You had a minor concussion. I'm glad you appear to be stable with no complications—but of course, that's only from my point of view. Do you feel anything weird? Does it hurt anywhere?"

I weighed my options. Considering I have no clue who the heck I was, how the heck I got here, and what the heck my origins are… it's better to say I had amnesia, right? I could always blame it on the concussion.

"Well, actually—"

Someone rapped on the door. Suddenly the aura seemed different. From homey and comfortable, it shifted to _regal_ and suffocating. Whoever was behind that door is powerful. I instinctively held Will's hand.

He flashed me a reassuring smile before setting a guarded gaze on the door. "It's fine. We're in Camp, we're safe here."

But even though he said that in his soothing voice, from the corner of my eye, I saw Will fish out a celestial bronze dagger, holding it by the side of his body my vision can't reach. I glanced up at him.

 _He's trying to stop me from panicking_. My lips unknowingly twitched into a smile. _How sweet_.

"You can come in," Will called.

The door opened and in came a tall, muscular, bronzed, and _extremely handsome drop-dead gorgeous_ man with long blonde hair tied back. _The head from the floating car_ , I noted. So I was right.

The guy's eyes found us and he flashed a million-dollar smile towards our direction. I swear I could literally see sparkles radiating accompanied by that twinkling sound effect.

Looks like I'm going to get my answers earlier than I thought.

Will's shocked voice was loud in the cabin. "Dad?"


	3. I find out just how doomed I was

You know that feeling you get when it’s the calm before the storm?

Yeah. Shit’s about to go _down_.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when Apollo waltzed in. Will he tell me how I got here? Heck, yeah (that’s the first thing I’ll ask). Will he confirm my heritage? Yes (I won’t let him do otherwise). Will he enlighten me on which part we are in the canon timeline? Probably (fingers crossed it isn’t the war with Gaea… or _any_ war on that matter). Will he inform me of super powers I didn’t know I have? Maybe…? (I wasn’t counting on it, though).

What I was _sure_ of was that I would have already formulated a survival plan by the time interrogation’s done and Apollo decides to _flash_ himself out of the room like the big-headed show-off he is.

There’s this thing called a _door_. There’s a _knob_. You twist and pull it to open and access that gaping square hole that brings you out into the grandiose world of wonders… and countless pressing issues ( _climate change everybody!_ ) that needed to be addressed before the Earth has had enough of us and blow us all up to death.

( _Well… that escalated quickly… though that’s hardly far from the truth, Gaea IS rising if my timeline is correct._ )

Also, there’s actually a bigger chance for me to avoid death by spontaneous combustion once gods decided to do the mundane thing and _I don’t know_ , use exits like any other normal being would?

I mean, sure. He’s Apollo, he’s a god—and of the sun—so he needs to be flashy and all that cringey shiz, but we know that already and we’re actually putting up with it so the least he can do is appreciate us for our efforts and I don’t know, not _burn us to death_? Like seriously—

Wait… where was I?

God, is this ADHD?

I. Can’t. Even.

Anyway, I just needed additional information to finalize my scheme, but I already have a rough draft going on in my head. I needed to be determined and stay _focused_ (demigod tendencies be damned). It’s my survival on the line.

Here’s the plan: I’d use my knowledge of the canon universe and try to minimize my interactions with the main cast. Considering it was _the_ Jason Grace who saved my sorry ass, there’s a high chance that it’s currently any time before the Seven’s quest. Of course, the ideal situation would be that all events in the series have already come to pass, but considering my rotten luck, I’d have to think of the worst-case scenario.

Nevertheless, my plan should work. Regardless of at which point in time we are, I would be avoiding everyone from the main crew. Trouble seems to follow them wherever they go and I sure as hell don’t want to get stuck in the middle of that shit.

I am definitely _not_ going on that ship.

Hoping that my presence didn’t botch the plot _at all_ , my best bet for survival is to stay at Camp Half-Blood. The Romans would never really get the chance to attack Camp, and when the plethora of monsters comes rushing… I guess I could hide at the Big House? Wait it out?

Yeah. That sounds like a good idea.

(Cowardly? Sure. But still a good idea. I wanna live, people!)

Basically, no matter how hard it was ( _especially considering my incredible hotness— oh screw it, who am I kidding?_ ), I’m going to have to be invisible.

_I wonder if there’s another invisibility baseball cap available…?_

“Dad?” Will’s voice made me snap back to reality. “What are you doing here?”

Apollo chuckled and made his way to the vacant bed beside mine. “Can’t I visit two of my adorable children?” He grinned as he sat, though the smile didn’t seem to reach his eyes.

 _Bingo._ I resisted the urge to smirk. I was right. I was a child of Apollo—at least that’s one down.

Will seemed to be shocked, and there was a hint of suspicion and apprehension evident in his voice. “…But why?”

The question seemed simple and nonchalant enough, but a glance to his face made me know better. His eyes were searching, conveying a message filled with a boiling emotion suppressed throughout the years. _You never do this. You never bothered to visit. You never bothered to care. So why now?_

I felt a strike of guilt run through me. Here is Will— _here are living children_ —suffering alone in this dangerous world, growing without the love and care of a full set of parents, and here I was, treating everything like a realistic simulation of an investigation crime game.

Something flashed in Apollo’s eyes but it was gone as fast as it came. “Oh I just decided to stop by for a quick visit.” The smile was still plastered on his face and his voice was exaggeratedly chirp that (probably due to his nature as the sun god) he literally sparkled like _Edward fucking Cullen_ accidentally exposed to solar light. But there was something in his sunny disposition, something in his cheerfulness that was so forced and sickeningly fake—making ten thousand alarms go off in my head.

_RED ALERT! RED ALERT! LYING CREOLE BASTARD IN MIDST. GET THE FUCKING iiiiiiiiiiiiiINTERROGATION DEPARTMENT IN HERE —my mind right now, tripping over a misplaced smut fantasy rolling on the floor while an awfully loud cowbell kept ringing, resulting in a stampede of neon pink colored bulls, panicking._

Apollo, who was apparently my father, now turned to me. “Alena, how are you feeling?”

Because I was stupid and couldn’t take a hint, I actually turned my head to check if there were other people and lifted a finger to point to myself. _‘Cause seriously. Who the fuck was Alena?_

Apollo narrowed his eyes at the action and his voice was laced with a dangerous tone of suspicion. “You don’t remember?”

I blanched. _Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit._

Let it be known that there _was_ a reason why demigods make sure not to get on any gods’ bad side. My parent or not, Apollo’s gaze felt like it could condemn me to the pits of hell (or rather the Underworld).

I whimpered, reaching to clutch Will’s hand. “I don’t remember anything aside from falling to my death.” I stammered, my voice feeble and small. Under normal circumstances, I would have boasted and yelled for someone _to get me a fucking_ _Oscar_ but nOPE I AM ACTUALLY NOT ACTING THIS TIME AND AM VERY MUCH IN FEAR FOR MY SHORT AND UNPRODUCTIVE LIFE THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Will, bless him, squeezed my hand and immediately came to my rescue. “She hit her head pretty hard when Jason saved her. It’s not surprising she acquired selective amnesia,” he stated quite confidently, clearly an expert on on-the-spot bullshitting. I was very glad about the strong familial bonds of demigods—at least especially for those of the same godly parent. Because honestly, without parents and adult supervision, who else can you turn to and trust?

The suffocating atmosphere lightened considerably and Apollo hummed. “That actually is a possibility,” he muttered.

 _Crisis averted_. Tears actually sprang in my eyes and I sniffed. _Bless you Will Solace. I never had a sibling and we never had the chance to bond but you’re honestly the best brother ever._

“Maybe it’s better this way,” he continued, almost only to himself. There was another flash of emotion in his eyes as they seemingly peered through me.

I froze. It was that look again. The same one I briefly saw on him back when I was falling to my death.

“Will, can you leave us?”

My “brother” glanced between the both of us, hesitating on what to do. On one hand, it was a request from Apollo, his father, _a god_ , and was clearly the best person to follow. On the other, there was me, a newly discovered sibling, who was obviously scared out of her damn mind. I know that even though it was phrased as a choice, Will would have to leave as what Apollo wanted, but I can’t help but tighten my hand around his, with my eyes widened, pleading for him to stay.

“Will.” There it is— _the order_.

Will Solace inhaled sharply through his nose before turning to me, eyes kind and apologetic. “Don’t worry.” He smiled, trying to ease my fear. “I’ll just be outside if you need me. I know you’re confused—”

He glanced at Apollo briefly, squeezing my hand for comfort. There was a slight furrow in his brow. “—but everything will be all right.”

I exhaled shakily. Thanks, bro, I appreciate it but no. Everything’s _definitely not_ _okay_. I kept my gaze down at my hands as Will—my solace, _ha get it?_ —left the cabin. The pressure in the infirmary was tantamount to a brewing storm. All my previous bravado disappeared under the focused gaze of a god. I know Apollo was portrayed as cheerful, egoistic, and somewhat simpleton-like in the books, but the Apollo I’m facing now was definitely a stark contrast to that.

“You… really don’t remember anything?”

His voice was soft and somber, countenance changing without other people in the room. I peeked at him from underneath my bangs, trying to gauge the situation and weigh my choices. “No… not really.”

His breath hitched as he leaned forward almost desperately, making me start. _What the fuck?_ “You remember nothing? About the past week? The drive to this place, your training, how you were raised?”

I gaped like a fish, my mind reeling from the sudden influx of information. _Training? What—_

His eyes narrowed at me calculatingly. “You remember nothing about me?”

I spluttered—a desperate move to at least breath. His line of questioning was intense, demanding, and with the dangerous atmosphere he was radiating, I can’t help but shudder. I wanted an interrogation? Well this was an interrogation, only it’s the other way around from what I had planned and I have no idea what to answer. This wasn’t how it should have panned out. Two thoughts registered in my brain.

_Welp, there goes my game plan out of the window._

And then—

_Oh shit, I’m going to die._

“I-I’m sorry,” I whimpered.

He blinked, surprised, like he didn’t mean to let the godly aura seep through. He sighed and I could finally breathe again.

“I’m… sorry,” his voice shaky as he covered his face with a hand, slouching in his seat. “This must be very shocking for you, as it is for me. I knew I made a mistake and I wanted to stop everything from happening but this— this was never the plan.”

A beat. “Or maybe the problem was having _that_ plan in the first place.”

Apollo looked up to stare at me with the most serious and determined face I’ve ever seen. He stood up abruptly, his blue eyes now soft and kind as he smiled at me apologetically. I was frozen and flabbergasted. _Why?_

“I’m glad you’re okay, Lena.”

_Lena—a nickname._

He shifted on his feet hesitantly before leaning over me, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead. Thunder rumbled in the sky. My senses suddenly felt like they were buffered through a haze.

_Why are you acting this way?_

His eyes darkened as he let out an Ancient Greek curse. He walked briskly to the door. “I thought I had more time. I probably won’t be seeing you for a long time, and well, _hopefully never again_ ,” he said hurriedly, mumbling the last part. A veil of cold washed over me. The soft tone was still loud in the stifling silence of the cabin.

“I hope those circumstances will never come to pass.”

_What the hell are you talking about?_

He faced me, to what I feel he means to be the last time. He smiled.

_Why are you looking at me like that?_

The thunder roared louder than before.

“Goodbye, _my ray of light_.”

With a bright flash he vanished, imprinting the face he wore in my brain. I was too in shock to even avert my gaze. A small part of me is surprised that I survived staring at him full-on as he disappeared, and that I didn’t burn into ashes, but it was set aside by the overwhelming panic I was feeling right now.

_What the fuck._

_What the actual fuck._

A thousand thoughts began racing in my brain and I couldn’t recognize any of them. My body felt hot, like energy was traveling up and down my spine, and then to my arms, then to my feet. It was such a contrast to the creeping cold in the depths of my stomach, and I think I was so out of it I actually thought my skin was glowing orange. I was in shock. I couldn’t breathe.

 _He gave me that look again_.

I vaguely remember Will entering the room and dashing over to me. I couldn’t feel his hands as they touched me before flinching back. I couldn’t hear his voice as he mouthed words hurriedly.

All I can focus on was the look on Apollo’s face as he gave me that final smile. He looked at me like I was someone precious he was going to lose. He looked at me like I was the final piece—a last hope—in a greater scheme.

_“Ray of light”—fucking hell._

He looked at me like I was going to die.

A ringing started in my ear as my body started to shake. Multiple people surrounded me and multiple arms tried to reach me, but I couldn’t see clearly.

_I knew I was going to be doomed, but at this level—really?_

I went into this expecting to get answers about my current situation, and all I got out of it was a thousand more questions and a heck ton more confusion.

Oh, and apparently a death warrant.

“Hey, I need you to breathe right now—”

Black spots start to fill my vision.

Honestly? I can’t deal with this shit right now. So I do what I do best— _run_.

I blacked out with one last thought in mind.

_Why couldn’t he have just used the fucking door?_


	4. Can the ground swallow me up now?

I came to Will pressing a damp towel to my forehead.

There was a moment where everything was just blank, all I could hear was a faint buzz at the back of my mind as I stared up listlessly at the ceiling. My mind wasn’t processing anything and I couldn’t feel my body—it was as if I was detached, hovering in some state of purgatory. Slowly, the ceiling I was staring at was replaced by a face, and I instantly locked on the gentle yet concerned orbs of blue that was like the sky in a bright sunny day.

Unconsciously, the tenseness that I felt simmered into ease. _Safe_ , my brain registered. _I’m safe._

Of course, Will Solace just had to fucking ruin it.

“…Are you okay?”

I blinked.

_…Okay? What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I be okay—_

Memories slammed into me with the same impact as an 18-wheeler truck barreling into a concrete wall at full speed. I know I love my exaggerations but I don’t think it was far from the truth considering the force actually propelled me to suddenly sit up on my bed. My mind was in overdrive as Apollo’s words replayed. I paled so hard my face went ten shades lighter.

_What the hell was that all about? Apollo knows me? I apparently had training? We were close enough he gave me a fucking nickname? “Ray of light”, what the hell is with that term of endearment? We close??? Back off dude I literally just met you five minutes ago! Creep!_

Will gripped my shoulders and murmured reassurances. I tried to focus on his voice as he calmly told me to breathe.

_Why did he look at me like it was the last time he was going to see me? Oh my god, I literally just survived a fall from thousands of feet high in the sky and now I find out I’m apparently going to die? Why didn’t you just finish me off at the fall then! At least a flat human pancake won’t be suffering from a god’s unknown scheme!_

Circles were rubbed into my back. “Hey, breathe with me. Inhale. Exhale.”

I struggled to follow in time with his instructions. The chaos in my mind seemed to lessen with each shuddering breath I release. I finally took notice of the cold damp wetness seeping through my shirt. In his haste to calm me down, Will dropped the towel he was using before on my stomach. I gingerly picked it up in question.

“Ah, sorry about that, I was trying to cool you off,” he apologized sheepishly. “You were a bit hot a while ago.”

“A while ago?” I asked, still in a daze as I’m trying to process everything. “What are you talking about, I’m hot all the time.”

_What the hell did Apollo do to me? I was in a weird state when he left. I felt both hot and cold… is that what Will was talking about? But he only mentioned being hot… God did I almost overheat to death? WAS HIS FINAL KISS TO THE FOREHEAD SOME SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION ATTEMPT THAT DIDN’T WORK QUITE RIGHT?_

A snort revealed the presence of other people in the room.

“Well, you were literally burning a while ago,” a young girl noted. “I don’t think that’s a compliment.”

I took in her ginger hair and the bright shock of lime green at the ends. “Well you’re literally blinding me right now,” I replied. “That was very much a compliment.”

I paused.

“Or maybe I’m indirectly insulting you by calling you some neon disaster. You never know. I say just pick the positive perspective.”

_So was “ray of light” a positive thing then? But he looked at me with something akin to regret. I don’t think he was being sarcastic with that nickname though—_

Will chuckled as he took the towel and placed it on my bedside table. “You seem chirp. I’m glad.”

“Yeah, anything’s better than a while ago. Will was panicking!”

I turned and blinked at the tall African-American sitting on the bed at my left. He smiled amiably. “Was it that bad?” I asked, grimacing.

“I’ve never seen anything like it happen before,” Will admitted.

I inhaled. Right. My body was behaving in ways even Camp Half-Blood’s medic extraordinaire hasn’t encountered before. What a way to confirm my predicament. I’m definitely going to die. Yipee.

“Well I _am_ one of a kind.” I smiled, quite _too_ brightly.

“No, but seriously,” another girl piped up as she bounded to my bed and plopped at the edge by my feet. Her big golden hoop earrings jingled back and forth. “It was scary. We couldn’t even touch you to give you nectar and ambrosia. What the hell happened to you?”

The last few minutes of the encounter replayed in my head. Apollo said he was leaving. He went to the door. He… flashed out the usual Olympian god style.

Oh shit.

“Apollo didn’t know how to use the fucking door,” I dead-panned.

It took about three seconds before the four of them burst into a panic.

“YOU LOOKED AT HIM WHILE HE FLASHED OUT?”

“LIKE HEAD-ON!?”

“HOW ARE YOU EVEN ALIVE.”

Will grabbed my shoulders as he forced me to look at him dead in the eye. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

I blinked at the sudden close proximity as they all crowded me. They had some sort of panic shown in their expressions and my heart clenched slightly. I’ve never had anyone show this amount of concern to me before.

“I’m okay. I’m alive,” I placated.

_For now—a voice whispered._

_SHUT UP BRAIN WE’RE HAVING A MOMENT._

“Though I think I’ll seriously melt at this amount of concern. I don’t do feelings,” I joked.

They all glanced to each other hesitantly, as if thinking, ‘ _What the hell is up with this girl?’_. This was clearly the point where they decide whether or not to disown me. I have been nothing but unserious and slightly egotistical this whole conversation, and I probably didn’t act as normal as someone who just got dropped from the sky and almost got burnt alive from the inside. Sorry, I don’t know the standard for this situation.

 _Was Apollo trying to kill me this whole time?_ _He did say he didn’t want to see me again, and he looked all sourly seeing me injured—but alive— on the bed. Was he mad I survived? I don’t remember anything from before plummeting to the ground, however… Did he toss me off the sun chariot? But what’s with all the nicknames, and what’s with the insinuated past with him!?_

Not that I ever conformed to any standard at all. Bitch, I’m _above_ all standards. I’m unique. I’m a special little snowflake. It’s called actually _having_ personality.

…Yeah. That’s the little speech I give myself in front of the mirror every morning.

They seemed to have picked the kinder side, opting to accept me wholly along with my eccentricities. _Aww, shucks, guys_! I’m blushing! I didn’t have any but aren’t siblings supposed to piss the hell out of you? That or either have severe sibling complexes for you. (Though I do realize that majority of what I know came from some rather questionable fanfiction…) 

They all loosened up around me as they gave me space. “Of course we were worried,” the neon ginger frowned. “You are our sibling after all…” she trailed off hesitantly.

That seemed to snap them out of whatever state they were in. Will cleared his throat, seamlessly stepping into the head counselor role. “Right. You’ve basically been claimed by dad verbally so I don’t think there are issues with that, we’ve informed Chiron of everything…”

His eyes darted to his other siblings, as if trying to formulate his next words carefully. “The way you came to camp is actually a special case.” He spoke slowly. “Especially with dad making a follow-up after… We haven’t had any communication with the gods recently—”

“Except for Hera four months ago. That day was wild.” The lone unknown guy beside my bed shivered.

“—so we’d like to know what your situation is?” Will inquired, eyes kind and understanding. “We won’t force you, of course. If you’d prefer to just tell Chiron—he’s the activities director here—that’s fine as well.”

I closed my eyes in resignation. With Will’s description, and considering Jason is still here in camp, that puts me before Mark of Athena in the canon universe timeline. I was literally plopped right before all the fun— _and by fun I meant chaos, despair, and imminent destruction_.

And I’m not even sure I still have that knowledge advantage I thought I had—my lone edge against this insane world. I was pretty sure Apollo didn’t stop for a quick drop in Camp Half-Blood, at this point he was already hiding from anger-management-issues daddy Zeus. _Unless it did happen during the time-skip…?_

No. I have to think of the worst-case scenario. Even Apollo was acting weird during our talk, his emotions shifting all over the place. Was it a Greek-Roman internal debate thing?

I doubt it. Apollo was a special case in that, wasn’t he?

I sighed as I tried to will my brain to stop thinking. It has been in overdrive these past few minutes, and I’ve been processing both my ruminations and what is happening in the real world at the same time. Frankly, I’ve never felt as tired my entire life. I’ve been hit by intense circumstances one after another as soon as I got here, not to mention the impending doom in my future, and to think that all I had to worry about before this was cramming a literature paper. This tops that one time I had to do an emergency all-nighter because I forgot a project was due the next day. _Ah… better times._

I slouched as I looked back up at Will tiredly. I didn’t ask for any of this... (Okay maybe I did, remember that wish before I slept last night? But I didn’t expect it to actually be granted! It was _rhetorical_!) I am exhausted, I am confused, and I am honestly just a few seconds away from a panic attack.

I am so done.

_God my head hurt._

“…I really don’t know,” I answered honestly, shaking my head in frustration. I decided to be honest with everything as I woefully retold my situation. Of course I omitted some parts, I couldn’t possibly tell them that I was from another universe and the way I entered this one is because I _freaking_ rolled off my bed harder than usual— _how the fuck did that even work!?_ —so I just vaguely described that I hit my head before falling off the chariot. I was banking on my “amnesia” as the foundation for my whole re-telling; hopefully Will buys it as something more than just an excuse to save my ass from Apollo.

Basically I was also as confused as they are and _I didn’t know shit._

The slight downward twitch of Will’s lips was the only indication that he was disappointed with the lack of beneficial information. Not that I can blame him. I’m literally _useless_.

 _I’m going to fucking die_.

I was new to this world, and unlike normal demigods who had been staying in Camp or had the ingrained instincts from the godly side of the family, I was another person ripped from my own world and unceremoniously plopped down here. Even if this body had prior training, it wouldn’t be of help because I, Kiara, the conscious being occupying Alena, don’t know anything. What’s the use of great potential and power if I can’t even tap it? I certainly didn’t feel any transition of abilities or instincts, so would I even be able to use them? Am I just a normal mortal essence in a demigod body? Like no matter how much I train, would I even reach normal demigod level with just mortal capabilities? Oh god, can I even read Ancient Greek? Was I starting to feel ADHD when I first woke up or was just that adrenaline and panic mixed in with my weird way of thinking?

I could hear canon rapidly approaching like the sound of a train zooming into a station. _Might as well dig a grave now and be buried underneath it_ , I thought, squashing the urge to laugh hysterically. For now, I’ll just settle with mentally slapping myself hard and putting a rain-check to my manic breakdown.

_God, can the ground swallow me up now?_

“You don’t seem suspicious or confused about this situation.” The brunette with the golden hoop earrings spoke up after a few seconds of silence.

“I’m sorry?”

She shrugged, feigning nonchalance even as she narrowed her eyes. “It’s just, you claim to not know anything but you don’t look confused about what’s happening.”

I blinked. _Ah, she’s got a point_.

“Coping mechanism,” I answered.

The neon ginger rolled her eyes in what seemed like exasperation. She turned to me. “Sorry about that, Erin is _always_ suspicious of other people. You’d think she’d lay off considering how you’re a sibling but no.” She turned to the golden hoop earrings girl—apparently Erin—to point at her in childish rebuke. “You need to work on your trust issues.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Huh, so your name’s Erin. You pegged me as an Astrid or something.”

Erin huffed, eyebrows creasing as she looked at me in confusion. “You’re weird.”

Will took this time to step in before a fight broke out. He clapped his hands loudly, the sound ringing in the cabin. “Right! I forgot we haven’t even introduced ourselves!” He smiled at me brightly. “My name’s Will Solace, the head counselor for the Apollo Cabin, more on that later—”

He then proceeds to introduce the rest of his siblings.

Apparently the neon ginger is Kayla Knowles, Erin-not-Astrid or golden-hoop-girl is Erin Bennett, and the friendly boy-next-bed is Austin Lake. Kayla and Austin were familiar names, but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard none of an Erin from any of the books in the franchise. Was she an insignificant minor character never named in the books? Or did my presence change something in canon?

I let out a small smile. “Nice to finally ditch the atrocious nicknames I have for you in my head. I’m—”

_Kiara._

I swallowed.

“—Alena.”

A horn sounded in the distance. Will smiled at me and I tried to reciprocate despite my inner turmoil.

“You up for lunch?”

Half of me wanted to bail and say no. I mean, on one hand, _food_. On the other, people who would most certainly stare at me and judge me, and then there’s nymphs, satyrs, and other mythological creatures I wouldn’t have normally thought existed—

Right. Calm. I need to be calm. I tugged at the collar of my cupcake-patterned pajamas.

“Can I get a change of clothes first?”

* * *

_So, uh… can the ground really swallow me up now?_

Social gatherings weren’t really my thing. I’ve always been socially anxious all my life and huge numbers of people make me feel claustrophobic. Despite the thick skin I always want to show and portray, whenever there is a huge crowd, I seem to be hyper aware of all their piercing gazes and their soft whispers, making me shrink in myself and let my over thinking run wild. It was one of the things my small group of friends like to tease me about, that they should just toss me in a crowd if they want me to finally shut my trap.

It was all light-hearted and good-natured jabs, and my heart clenched as I thought about those infuriating assholes.

 _Assholes I probably won’t ever see again_.

I glanced to the side and caught more people unsubtly staring at me and whispering to their tablemates. I mean, it was understandable; I probably made a huge scene with how I arrived in Camp and that was probably the biggest story in a while to get tossed in the rumor mill. This would maybe continue for a few more days or so, so I need to get used to it.

But I just can’t help it. It only emphasizes the fact that _I don’t belong._

_I felt so out of place._

( _God, was this the infamous protagonist attention? I change my mind, I don’t like it mom get me out of hereeeeeee)_

My new siblings tried to get me acclimated, chatting with me amiably as they try to turn my attention away from the pointed stares and continuous gossiping. It somehow worked, and I barely managed to keep track of the tips and orientation they gave about Camp and the whole system for eating. Most of the stuff I knew from reading the series anyway. I just made sure to react appropriately at certain things as if I didn’t know them before, especially as we wished for our meal to materialize and as we offered food to the gods (I didn’t say a word and just chucked food in, screw you Apollo). Surprisingly, they bought it. _Huh… Looks like I deserve that Oscar after all._

And then the _public humiliation_ happened.

I didn’t really pay much attention to the announcement scenes in the books, where Chiron and Dionysus blurt out the new campers and their godly lineage. It just felt like an ordinary thing, with no significant impact. But sitting there at this time, head snapping up at the head table as Chiron made to stand, I can’t help but feel anguish rush through me.

_Shit, I wasn’t ready!_

I realized that once you were in this situation, it was a very big and _significant_ thing. Imagine being thrust in a world you never thought could have existed and then being subjected to the attention of all of Camp at your first day. Instead of being welcomed as per the original intent, it does nothing but highlight how new this world is. How out of place you are.

How the hell did Percy survive all this as a kid!? ( _I mean not that I’m not one myself, I’m 15— or wait, am I still 15? Is Alena 15? Shit I’m getting sidetracked, my point is Percy was younger when he first arrived and he already had to be subjected to this public torture—_ )

“Let us welcome our newest addition in Camp: Alena,” Chiron announced in the absence of the wine god. “Daughter of Apollo.”

There was a silence as I stared first time at the centaur, like a deer caught in headlights. I wasn’t ready to face all the other campers. I wasn’t ready to be acknowledged.

I wasn’t ready to face reality.

Chiron either didn’t notice the panic in my face or just ignored it completely, the ass. He only smiled encouragingly as he motioned for me to stand. _Fuck, now I’ve got no choice._

Slowly standing up, I turned my gaze from my eaten food to the entirety of Camp Half-Blood. There were a lot more campers than I thought there would be, as well as satyrs and nymphs. I suppose the several sets of eyes bothered me but as I scanned the whole dining pavilion, I can’t help but settle on _specific people I was supposed to avoid at all costs_. I haven’t met them personally but I fucking knew it was them.

The tired but determined blond-haired and grey-eyed girl at the table with the most books strewn across the surface, the curly black-haired Latino whose face was spotted with dirt and grease and was very much half-asleep on his Cabin’s table, the slightly distracted but beautiful brunette surrounded by other equally pretty and handsome teens. And that blonde-haired blue-eyed guy sitting alone but very much staring at me in concern and recognition.

I exhaled.

Most of the main characters from The Heroes of Olympus all in one contained space. If it wasn’t clear before, thank you for this blaring sign.

_Fuckkkkk, my heart is pounding in this proximity._

After the very awkward pause I definitely caused, I raised a hand and waved. “Hi,” I all but meeped.

My siblings clapped loudly in support and the rest of Camp unenthusiastically followed. I didn’t wait for them to finish as I bolted back down in my seat.

_Well… time to try to survive._


End file.
